Shloka 38
Āstīka-stuti at Janamejaya’s Sacrifice (आस्तीकस्तुतिः / यज्ञप्रशंसा)
संवादं पन्नगेन्द्रस्य काश्यपस्य च कस्तदा | श्रुतवान् दृष्टवांश्वापि भवत्सु कथमागतम् | श्रुत्वा तस्य विधास्ये5हं पन्नगान्तकरीं मतिम्,अच्छा, भविष्यमें प्रयत्नपूर्वक कोई-न-कोई उपाय करके तक्षकको इसके लिये दण्ड दूँगा। परंतु एक बात मैं सुनना चाहता हूँ। नागराज तक्षक और काश्यप ब्राह्मणका वह संवाद तो निर्जन वनमें हुआ होगा। यह सब वृत्तान्त किसने देखा और सुना था? आपलोगोंतक यह बात कैसे आयी? यह सब सुनकर मैं सर्पोके नाशका विचार करूँगा
saṃvādaṃ pannagendrasya kāśyapasya ca kas tadā | śrutavān dṛṣṭavāṃś cāpi bhavatsu katham āgatam || śrutvā tasya vidhāsye'haṃ pannagāntakarīṃ matim |
Janamejaya sprach: „Wer hat damals das Gespräch zwischen dem Herrn der Schlangen und dem Brahmanen Kāśyapa gehört oder gar gesehen? Und wie kam dieser Bericht zu euch? Nachdem ich es gehört habe, werde ich hier den Entschluss fassen, einen Weg einzuschlagen, der zur Vernichtung der Schlangen führt.“
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical need for reliable knowledge before acting: Janamejaya demands to know who witnessed or heard the private dialogue and how it was transmitted, even as his anger pushes him toward collective punishment. It implicitly warns that vengeance should not outrun discernment and due inquiry.
Janamejaya, intent on punishing Takṣaka for his father’s death, asks how the sages came to know the dialogue between the serpent-king and Kāśyapa, which would have occurred in a secluded place. He says that after hearing the full account he will form a resolve leading to the destruction of the serpents—foreshadowing the sarpa-satra (snake sacrifice).